R.I.P. Ed McMichael, aka, The Tuba Man...

Member

This is just a sad ending to a sad story. And the light sentences given to his murderers are an unholy outrage. I hope these vicious punks never have another moment of undisturbed sleep before suffering thier own untimely deaths.

Friday, April 3, 2009

Ed McMichael, the Tuba Man.

3 plead guilty in Tuba Man slaying but won't serve much time

By Bob YoungSeattle Times staff reporter

Three teenagers have pleaded guilty in the beating death of Seattle's "Tuba Man," but none will spend more than 72 weeks in juvenile detention for their crimes.

King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg announced the guilty pleas Friday and called the maximum sentences the teens face "inadequate" and "not enough punishment."

But Satterberg said the law doesn't allow stiffer sentences for juveniles in such cases.

The teenagers could have faced longer prison time had authorities charged them as adults. But police could find no eyewitnesses to the crime except for the teens themselves. Charging them as juveniles is "the only option we had to solve the crime," Satterberg said.

He said the teens pleaded to the juvenile charges to "avoid the risk" that prosecutors might one day put together a compelling case against them if a witness ever came forward.

The three Seattle teens, who were 15 at the time of the attack, will be sentenced April 22 in Juvenile Court. They pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter.

"It was a senseless attack of unprovoked violence that ripped a hole in the fabric of our community," Satterberg said.

The Seattle Times is not naming the teenagers because their case is being handled in juvenile court.

Ed McMichael, 53, a quirky character known for playing everything from Black Sabbath to Bread on his tuba while outside Seattle sporting events, was pummeled by a group of teens after midnight on Oct. 25 last year.McMichael was briefly hospitalized and then allowed to go home. He was found dead in his home Nov. 3, and an autopsy determined that he died from injuries sustained in the attack.

Satterberg said McMichael likely died from a single blow to the head. It came from a punch that knocked him down or when his head struck the ground after he was hit.

Two of the teenagers  both Cleveland High School students  face a sentence of up to 72 weeks in detention while the third, a Garfield High School student, faces up to 36 weeks.

The two who face the longer sentences also pleaded guilty to charges of second-degree robbery for attacking two North Seattle teens before assaulting McMichael. None of the three has prior convictions, Satterberg said.

"I don't think we could have made an adult case against them," Satterberg said. "The truth is, our choice was to accept a juvenile sentence or allow the case to remain unsolved."

According to police and court records, a group of about 10 teens assaulted and robbed two North Seattle high-school students near Seattle Center before they descended on McMichael at a bus stop near Fifth Avenue North and Mercer Street.

The Garfield student admitted, Satterberg said, to delivering one unprovoked punch to McMichael's head, knocking down the Tuba Man. Others in the mob kicked McMichael as he lay in the fetal position and rifled through his pockets, according to police reports.

Satterberg said he believes the Garfield teen "thought he ought to do something to show off" because he was not directly involved in robbing the two North Seattle teens.

The Garfield teen is an honors student with a stable home life, according to James Kelly, president of the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle. The boy is a member of the league's Urban Scholars program at Garfield.The mob ran when police arrived. Officers were able to arrest two suspects, the Cleveland students, at the scene. They later arrested the Garfield student.

The three were released from King County Juvenile Detention Center in February under the conditions they wear electronic-monitoring devices.All three are now in custody awaiting sentencing.

Satterberg said there was no solid evidence of gang affiliation involved in the crime. But he believes that after midnight, teens "tend to be emboldened when in groups."

McMichael's brother and sister, who live in Florida, provided a written statement Friday.

They said they've been able to overcome their rage and grief through the "outpouring of support, love and affection" for Tuba Man from Seattleites. A crowd of 1,500 attended a memorial for McMichael at the Qwest Field Event Center, and the Seattle Symphony dedicated a Nov. 15 performance to his memory.

McMichael's brother and sister also thanked police and prosecutors for helping to bring the case to a close. "We support you 100 percent," their statement said.

Member

Ed McMichaels, aka The Tuba Man, was murdered by a gang of juveniles who were sentenced yesterday.

They got maximum sentences of 36 to 72 weeks!

With time served, they&#8217;ll be out in no more than 3 to 12 months &#8211; even less if they behave themselves in juvie.

For murder.

I give &#8216;em a 50/50 chance (at best) to NOT be involved in another violent crime before their 21st birthdays.

God protect their next victims.

Apparently we refuse to.

After all&#8230;they&#8217;re just kids.

I seem to be the only person in this town that&#8217;s outraged. Even the victim&#8217;s brother was happy to see the murderers express &#8220;sincere&#8221; remorse, and was glad the courts gave them another chance to make something of their lives.

My own brother, a juvenile court judge, thought it was appropriate.

When I mentioned I thought they should do long, hard time&#8230;he said it was a good thing it wasn&#8217;t up to me.

WTF?

Is it me? Have I become a cranky old S.O.B. completely out of step with the sensibilities of my Oh-So-PC city?

Incidentally, this happened at the Seattle Center, where our mayor would insist we should not step foot if we are carrying a firearm for self-defense.

Member

After they get out of Jail they should be rounded up and taken to a remote location and beat to death with a TUBA ! I hope they get HURT while behind bars . The justice in this country is such a joke .

Member

I like the terms: " teens, student, boy, teens." The reporter uses wholesome , good nature language meant to illicit support for the three menaces,instead of calling these scum what they are, such as: Muggers, punks, delinquents, and murderers.

I would also wadge that our young pranksters are of Latino decent, but we can't bring that up, it wouldn't be politically correct.
Yellow journalism is all this is. The paper should be called the Seattle Crimes.

SCREW YOU SALEM!Gold Supporter

The Judiciary/Law Enforcement system does NOT make the laws, they enforce/uphold them (except when it comes to Illegal Aliens ), and it's obvious THEY are just as frustrated by this type of situation as well, but their hands are tied to a large extent. The people have GOT to stop voting for the same old schmucks who make these stupid laws... otherwise NOTHING will chage, except that things will get worse. :banghead:

Kids are NOT dumb, and they KNOW when they are being handled by "ametuers". Case in point; listen to the song by The Offspring- "Come Out & Play". One line says "If you`re under 18 you won`t be doing any time", and refelcts the attitudes of young punk-thugs... here's the lyrics.

Like the latest fashion
Like a spreading disease
The kid`s are strapin`on their way to the classroom
Getting weapons with the greatest of ease
The gangs stake their own campus locale
And if they catch you slippin` then it`s all over pal
If one guy`s colors and the others don`t mix
They`re gonna bash it up
Hey -man you talkin`back to me?
Take him out
You gotta keep `em seperated
Hey-man you disrespecting me?
Take him out
You gotta keep `em seperated
Hey they don`t pay no mind
If you`re under 18 you won`t be doing any time
Hey come out and play
By the time you hear the siren
It`s already too late
One goes to the morgue and the other to jail
One guy`s wasted and the other`s a waste
It goes down the same as the thousands before
No one`s getting smarter
No one`s learning to score
Your never ending spree of death and violence and hate
Is gonna tie your own rope

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